Tulip Decay

... playing with the camera in the kitchen on a sunny afternoon!

Perfume Discoveries, Pop Art And Monochrome Tones

Today I had it all wrapped up. I was to be at the World of Work til 1, then free-wheeling the rest of the afternoon, doing exciting things. Like buying a ball of black wool at the market, to finish a black, grey and white scarf I've been knitting the past 2 evenings. And painting another dining room wall mid-grey... having an obsession with pop art and primary colours at the moment, so planning to put up some colourful prints on a darker background in the next few days.

Almost made myself late this morning as Jarvis Cocker was on 6Music, saying something about songs he used to write when he was a young'un. When I got there, the frenzy began - not enough staff, finding awol tutors, no coffee, stopping students gluing each others' faces, coping with students obsessed already by christmas... and doing overtime until 4 o'clock.

Got back. Lovely warm afternoon. Cup of tea and chocolate brioche. Out in the garden. Have an unofficial deal with the American neighbour to bring in each others' dustbins, whoever is around at the time. This involves navigating 2 huge wheelie bins round several corners and down an alleyway between the houses. How quaint - only up north, eh. Invariably there is cat crap somewhere in the alley. Which is not at all quaint, and the cats had been there again.

I wondered about spraying some old perfume around, to see if that would deter the moggies. Lancome's Magie Noire, which I bought a decade ago, has always been a bit heavy and noticeable on me, maybe ok in winter. I could just waste the rest of it on the alleyway... I squirted my wrists, and sniffed, googled the ingredients, sniffed it some more... Found a charming perfume blog and signed up to it... and decided it was definitely too good to waste on the alleyway. I shall wear it over the next few days and expect people to be asking me what it is. Or else some cats may run the other way. And my spam box will get filled up with garden pest deterrent products.

Sunday Inspiration

 Ok, I just wrote, and abandoned, a post moaning about it being halfway through the holidays, feeling unspecifically frazzled, and generally getting all glass half empty, so instead there's going to be some Lovely Pictures.

I was looking at this magazine on the train and just gawped at this photo

The colours, the stuff, the dark grey, the white mirror...

Love old tile patterns. Even though this one's decided to be the wrong way round

Opera wallpaper, Cole & Son 

We're getting a bit of a purple'n'blue theme going on here.

Purple tumbler by Evitavonni.

It's only £82.21...

And I'd quite like the stairs too

 Hayworth sofa, John Lewis

And this velvet one

Ackroyd sofa for Marks and Spencer by Conran

I'm going to have to make do with a velvet cushion I have in this colour

It was from Woolworths...

 Another variation on the Royal stamps theme

By Annie Little

And I love this light fitting

RGB pendant lamp, Fredrik Mattson at InForm

Very naughtily working out how to make a tribute version...

I sort of like this table-bench idea

Very space-saving

So much that I've been wasting a bit too much time 

working out if I could do something like it

Now these two images are for Kim and her Eiffel Towers

Have a look at her fabulous European kitchen here:

http://kimmy-randomness.blogspot.com/

Conran Shop

Kate Thornton Design - "We Love Paris"*

And these are just because they are sooooo cute...

No one would notice if I sneaked them into my kitchen, right?

All images from September's Living etc, except for *

Pink And Green

Bought this card* the other day; it's been hanging around, waiting for me to stick up other cards I've got above the sideboard.....

Then I noticed a bit of a pink and green theme, in the bits waiting to go onto the compost after making last night's pudding.

It was meant to be strawberries, raspberries and kiwi with brown sugar and creme fraiche. No raspberries, brown sugar or creme fraiche, so 2 fruits with vanilla sugar and natural yoghurt was still lovely.

* Kathy Behrens for Hallmark